A little over ten years ago, the B Corp movement landed in Spain driven by a simple but powerful idea: that business can be one of the most transformative forces to build a better future. Since then, B Corp has grown this conviction into a movement capable of changing the way we understand business success. What began as a shared aspiration has become a community that demonstrates, with facts, that generating economic, social, and environmental value simultaneously is not only possible, but necessary.
The first steps were taken in Barcelona, in an environment especially fertile for social and business innovation. In 2017, the milestone of the first 50 certified companies was achieved, and key initiatives such as Multiplicadores B and Academia B were promoted: on the one hand, a network of professionals trained to promote B Corp standards; on the other, an academic community dedicated to research on this new business model. Once the foundations of the movement were established, in 2019, the creation of B Lab Spain as an independent entity to promote the movement throughout the country was consolidated.
Growth accelerated from 2021. The 100 B Corp companies were achieved, the manifesto demanding the legal recognition of purpose-driven companies was launched, and territorial initiatives such as Barcelona+B were promoted, reflecting the key role this city played as a space for experimentation in this new economy.
The year 2022 marked a historic turning point. With more than 200 certified companies, the movement led an unprecedented citizen and business mobilization that achieved the approval of the Benefit and Common Interest Companies (SBIC) within the Crea y Crece Law. Spain thus positioned itself at the European forefront by legally recognizing companies that integrate social and environmental impact into their purpose.
In the following years, the community exceeded 250 companies, business leadership committed to impact was strengthened, and the movement continued to gain social visibility. National campaigns such as Se Escribe con B contributed to consolidating an idea that is now part of the economic debate: companies cannot limit themselves to generating economic profits; they must maximize the value they bring to society.
We have shown that it is possible to build a community of purpose-driven companies, and now this community is ready to act collectively and multiply its impact.As the tenth anniversary approaches in 2025, the community reached 334 B Corp companies, while close to 14,000 companies in Spain were already using the movement's standards to measure and improve their impact. Among the certified companies, diverse and recognized organizations such as Central Lechera Asturiana, Estrella Galicia (Hijos de Rivera), Ferrer, ECOALF, and ISDIN stand out. Today, one in three people in the country already knows the B Corp movement, and 81% trust this business model.
Furthermore, last year we presented the most ambitious renewal of our international standards. From now on, being a leading company will involve meeting mandatory requirements in seven major impact areas, such as climate action, human rights, fair labor, and stakeholder governance. This transformation marks the beginning of the B Corp movement's second decade of impact in Spain: we have shown that it is possible to build a community of purpose-driven companies, and now this community is ready to act collectively and multiply its impact.
In 2015, we began this journey with a clear objective, many uncertainties, and countless challenges ahead. Today, we start this second decade of the movement with the same ambition, but with some certainties that fill us with hope: that companies that place purpose at the center of their activity have demonstrated greater capacity for resilience, talent attraction, and trust, and that impact and competitiveness are not opposing realities, but inseparable allies. Above all, that in a world of finite resources and growing global challenges, sustainability is no longer a reputational attribute, but a competitive advantage.
The first decade showed that purpose-driven companies are possible. The second, which begins now, must show that they are essential.
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